Piha locals pin burglar to ground after woman assaulted
Two Piha locals held the teen down before the authorities arrived
after he allegedly assaulted an elderly lady.
Piha locals have stepped in to catch a burglar after he
allegedly assaulted an elderly woman in her home.
The incident on Glenesk Rd on Saturday night has left
residents in the community on Auckland’s west coast concerned for their safety
as they continue to rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle.
A police spokesperson said they were notified of an
attempted burglary and an assault on Glenesk Rd at 8.05pm.
A 19-year-old is due to appear in the Waitakere District
Court on Thursday on charges of assault and burglary.
Police said no “significant injuries” appeared to have been
reported from the assault. Residents on a local community page said the victim
was an elderly woman.
The 19-year-old, according to locals, was reportedly part of
a group staying at an Air BnB nearby who had attempted to break into several
other properties before entering the woman’s home.
The residents also shared on Facebook that two neighbours
took down the teen, pinning him to the ground for 25 minutes before police
could arrive and arrest him.
“Everyone’s nerves are raw,” a post to Facebook by a
concerned local read. “And the lowest bottom feeders are always prepared to
take advantage of an opportunity.”
They added businesses in Piha were struggling after the
cyclone destroyed or damaged several homes and temporarily cut-off the area
from the rest of Auckland by road.
“We all miss our friends and family coming out to see us.
But red and yellow stickered homeowners have their homes and possessions
vulnerable until decisions are made.”
The incident follows fierce opposition from residents in
Muriwai, another cyclone-battered coastal community, which led Auckland Council
to backtrack on a decision to lift cordons, which would have exposed
red-stickered houses to potential looters.
Many Muriwai residents were distraught at the initial
decision to lift hard street cordons in Muriwai today and allow street access
to the general public to more than 100 red-stickered and still deserted houses.
Muriwai was one of the worst-hit suburbs in the Auckland
region from Cyclone Gabrielle’s onslaught. A landslide in the early hours of
Monday, February 13, killed two volunteer firefighters there.
All major roads into the community had been blocked with
cordons since then, but on Friday afternoon Auckland Council announced several
roads would abruptly be reopened today.
After the Herald’s questions to Auckland Council on Saturday
about the community objection to the cordons being lifted, the decision was
reversed.
